Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Soundbites

“I wonder whether you know that whales consume more than three to five times the maritime resources [that humans do]. I also have to point out that there are 800 million human beings who are undernourished.â€

Japan’s agriculture minister Tsutomu Takebe (Reuters, 4 July)

“The reason for the accident was a thermal explosion of torpedo fuel components. It occurred as a result of a leak of hydrogen peroxide.â€

Russia’s Industry and Science Minister Ilya Klebanov announcing the results of an inquiry into the Kursk submarine disaster, the first official admission that it wasn’t caused by a foreign vessel (Interfax news agency, 1 July)

“There is a great Australian silence over the crisis of black life expectancy.â€

Rosemary Neill whose book documents the plight of Aboriginal Australians, including the 20-year gap in life expectancy between whites and blacks (The Australian, 3 July)

“They say [the] risk is minuscule, but that does not mean it is safe.â€

London mayor Ken Livingstone wades into the debate on the alleged link between MMR vaccine and autism (BBC Radio 5 Live, 2 July)

“Rest is a serious business.â€

French President Jacques Chirac (Le Figaro, 4 July)

“Here we have a new crop that’s really helping the environment and we can use it for something constructive like posh frocks.â€

Melvyn Askew of Britain’s Central Science Laboratory on the advantages of stinging-nettle fibre over cotton (Reuters, 2 July)